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Henry pace in front of August's bed, his storybook open at the foot of the bed with the page of the door on top of it. "How do we get my aunt out? There has to be a way."

"We'll find that way. I promise, Henry. She saved me more than once... I'm gonna save her, too." August assured the boy who stopped his anxious pacing before he sat back down in the chair beside the bed.

Something began to glow underneath the picture of the door as both noticed small, cursive words appearing.

Henry read the new words before saying, "Astrid will be okay." They stared at the scribbled words that magically appeared and furrowed their eyebrows in confusion: I'm learning what it means to be the Creator, my purpose and all... We will meet again. Soon. Have faith.

"Sounds like our fearless friend has a plan," August remarked, "Even trapped in a book."

"She seem always have a plan ready," Henry also remarked, his faith towards his aunt still there.

***

Astrid looked around the cramped space on the other side of the door, twisting the door handle to find that it was locked. "Bloody hell."

She pounded on the door then until she started to kick at it, feeling even more cramped in the small space as she began to have a panic attack. "Let me out!"

Astrid gasped as she made a wave of magic wash over her and throughout the very tiny space of a room she was inside-- The room Now was much bigger and held one light above her.

"You are the Creator, child, which means you have the power to truly change the way things are." A sudden male voice spoke through the room somewhere.

"Who are you?" Astrid questioned, quickly standing in a defensive position as she glanced around everywhere, "Are you bloody trapped inside of this place like me also?"

"I'm not trapped, just know a lot about everything. I'm not here yet I here at the same time." The mysterious voice spoke up again, "I know much about you, hero. You have the potential to stop it all... You just have to believe in yourself, Kid."

Astrid narrowed her eyes and continued to look around the place but not standing in a defensive stance anymore, letting out, "And how do you suppose I stop things, change whatever?"

The room fell silent for a few minutes until the girl spoke up, "Hey! You can't just tell me that I can change bloody everything and then not even tell me how to do that! Come back-- Show yourself!"

It was still silent on the mystery voice's end as Astrid groaned and threw her arms in the air in frustration and anger, wanting to hit something or even someone but there wasn't anything in the room.

"Come on, really," Astrid sighed sarcastically, "Is this how it's gonna be? One-sided conversations? If so, I totally bloody love those."

The eighteen year old sat on the floor then, now sitting Indian style with her legs folded as she propped her face in her hands and elbows on her thighs.

After what seems like an hour, Astrid let out another groan, "Seriously? Help me! I don't know what to do!"

"Embrace your , powerful self, Astrid. It is time that you show the world your Creator self. Don't hold back. Be who you were made to be."

"So, what, I just stop and believe in myself? Then what?" Astrid scoffed, "Something magical starts to happen and everything changes and I'm free from this place and all that?"

The teenager couldn't believe what this person was saying or if she should even trust them at that... Too, this person wasn't really making any sense to her whatsoever.

Every single memory of her and Peter Pan suddenly appeared all around Astrid who looked at each one with teary eyes. "Why are you showing me this? I lost him."

" have the power to bring him back if you want to because that's who you are, Astrid. You have the power to help Emma bring back happy endings." The voice answered, "Not only that, but you save everyone over and over again. You're a and - hero. who you are, child... Remember who you."

Astrid stood up from where she sat on the floor and slowly looked at the memories of her family and friends, old and new.

"You're right... I have been thinking for my whole bloody lifetime that I'm not good, that I-I destroy everything around me..." Astrid let out before inhaling deeply as a single tear fell down her cheek, "But I was wrong. I want to be more. I am so much more than that."

She looked over at a memory of a certain one handed pirate taking care of her when she was six and had scraped her knee badly from tripping and hitting the boat's floor.

Six year old Astrid now sat on top of a barrel while Captain Hook cleaned the blood off her knee and bandaged it after putting a little alcohol over the cut.

"Papa... What kind of person do you see me being? I want to grow up just like you." The little girl innocently began, a hopeful gleam in her blue eyes as she stared up at the man.

Hook smiled somewhat, saying, "I see someone who will be very kind, brave, loyal, a true hero... I see a kid who will be better than me. You'll face some challenging stuff, but you will find a way to do the right thing, to be good. Don't let fear run your life, AJ."

"He always did see me as a good person, always believed in me." Astrid murmured, "I don't want to see myself the way I see myself anymore. I wanna see myself the way my dad does, like a hero, so you're right-- It's time."

Astrid took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and embraced her true identity and accepted the full responsibility of being the Creator, choosing to do good and be good.

Another wave of light magic flooded throughout the room and then another and one more surge of powerful, pure magic ran through her and then the room and book.

The light blinded her just as she was thrown out of the door and crashed on the other side of a new room, now out of the book. "ASTRID!"

Astrid grinned in relief with elated tears and saw her parents, Hook, Henry, and August inside of the fairies' large house, letting out, "It's me... I'm home."

David and Hook both pulled the girl off of her knees on the floor and hugged her with Snow joining in as well as Henry joining in the tight family hug.

After the hug, Astrid smiled over at August who nodded somewhat, saying, "Glad you're back." She grinned a little more and also nodded.

"Am I interrupting something?" A familiar male voice spoke up as a certain green eyed eighteen year old boy now stood at the open doorway.

Everyone widened their eyes at the one and only Peter Pan before quickly glancing over at Astrid who stared at her true love dumbfounded. "Pe-Peter."

"Hey, love," Peter also let out and slowly began to approach his fiancé who couldn't find it in her to even move at all, not even blink. "It's me... I'm really here."

Astrid felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest but not in a bad way. She suddenly rushed over to him and tackled him in a loving, very tight hug. "H-How are you... here?"

Peter kissed her forehead before resting his own against hers, murmuring, "I don't know... I just woke up and- and I had to find you immediately."

"It must have been that really powerful wave of magic that came from the storybook right before Astrid freed herself from that door," Henry spoke up, "It just has to be."

"Well, being the Creator does have some benefits," Astrid remarked before adding truthfully, "I just had to finally embrace who I really am and not be afraid of my power. I can't let fear run my life anymore."

Hook glanced over at his adopted daughter at the specific choice of words as she nodded at him.

Astrid turned back to her true love and the two of them finally kissed on the lips in a breathtaking, relieved, so-happy-to-be-reunited-with-you kiss.

"I have missed you so much, Peter..." She found herself murmuring in his embrace.

"I know. Me too, Charming," Peter murmured back, kissing her once more. He looked over at her parents, starting, "Hey, David, Snow-"

The eighteen year old boy was suddenly pulled into a hug by the couple who smiled at him as he hugged them back, David saying, "I'm actually glad to have you back, Pan... Never thought I'd say those words."

Peter laughed and stepped back over to his love while commenting, "I missed you guys, too, surprisingly." He moved an arm around the small of Astrid's back as she leaned more in his embrace.

***

Astrid was currently laying next to her true love on the queen-sized bed in their rather large treehouse the two had built in the woods a while back before he ever died.

Peter moved an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, letting out softly, "I don't know. I woke up six feet under, appeared above ground, and now I'm here with the love of my life."

Astrid smiled some, saying, "I love you, too... I'm sorry."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows as the blonde girl sat up, his hand still around her lightly. "For what?"

"It was my fault that you-- that you died... Riley was my best friend who was hurting at the loss of her brother, so she took it out on you to get back at me." Astrid sighed sadly.

Peter simply took her into his arms again reassuringly and replied, "Love, you have nothing to apologize for- not to me. I knew what I was getting into by falling in love with you, A. Actually, if I'm being honest here, I've been in love with you since the first time I have set my eyes on you."

Astrid laughed, "I shot you with an arrow in the shoulder-- one that you didn't even see coming, might I add."

"Like I didn't see us being each other's true love?" Peter remarked in amusement.

Astrid stepped foot on the shore of Neverland, stopping beside Hook who glanced over at her and looked back at the island the two were on.

"You ready to find out what happened to your birth parents, AJ?" The one-handed pirate spoke up, still wary about setting foot on the cursed island again especially after his brother.

"I suppose." Astrid nodded before inhaling deeply, adding, "Let's do this."

The two trekked through the jungle just as several of the Lost Boys surrounded the two of them, Peter Pan stopping a few feet in front of them with a devious smirk on his face.

Hook outstretched an arm in front of his adopted daughter protectively, telling her, "Stay behind me, lass. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon."

Peter stepped forward and remarked towards the said one-handed pirate, "Why'd you come back, Captain? You would think to stay away after what happened to your departed brother."

Astrid gutted her teeth, immediately moving her bow from around her shoulders and placing an arrow on the bowstring and pulling back, readying herself.

"Just let us be, Pan. We're just seeking for answers that only this island can provide." Hook simply answered.

Peter's smirk only grew as he noticed the teenage girl behind the man who still stood in front of her protectively. "Who's this?"

"That's none of your concern," Astrid smirked back at him, now aiming her bow and arrow at the boy. "Let us by, and I'm not bloody going to say please, either."

Peter lifted an amused eyebrow her way, lifting his arms somewhat, as he replied, "Shoot me. I dare you."

"You're too arrogant for my bloody liking." Astrid narrowed her blue eyes at the boy in charge of the Lost Boys and Neverland before releasing her arrow, it flying through the air towards him but was caught by Pan.

Astrid kept her smirk and shot two more just as quick, Peter catching the second arrow in his other hand but was shot in the shoulder by the third.

"Get them, boys! Throw them in the cages." Peter remarked while holding his bow bleeding left shoulder in his right hand.

The Lost Boys began to whoop and holler just as Hook and Astrid shared a look, the two now running through the woods and was unfortunately separated during the chase.

Astrid grinned, saying, "Some things are worth being surprised about." She laid a hand over his chest where she could feel his heart beating underneath her palm. "I love you."

Peter leaned in and kissed her deeply on the lips, murmuring in between their kiss, "Always and forever."

Astrid kept her smile and nodded, "Forever and always."

Peter kissed her again before speaking back up, "I still have that scar on my shoulder, too. Though, it reminds me of when our love story began."

"Such a Romeo but more of a Huckleberry," Astrid remarked cheekily, lying back down beside her love and resting her face on his chest beside her hand that continued to feel his beating heart. "But you never had anything to worry about- not really- I was always yours. It just took me awhile before realizing it."

Peter smiled, his lips pressed on her forehead lightly, as he quietly said, "You're mine, and I'm yours, Charming."

Astrid softly smiled and closed her eyes, content, now falling asleep in her fiancé's arms as Peter fell asleep too.

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😍😭 My babies have been reunited again!

Yay! I'm like pretty happy I finally got to this part, lol. 😂❤️🥰

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